The leader of the swindling trio claimed she wanted to add the youth as a signatory

“In my opinion they need to step up their security among their staff. This was very loose.”

Gloria, who presents the BBC One consumer show with Angela Rippon and Julia Somerville, added: “I want to know how this has happened.”

The court heard the bogus Gloria went into a Santander branch in Croydon, south London, on June 3 last year with the “daughter” and Alan Dowie, 18, from Oxted, Surrey, who pretended to be the star’s grandson.

Police are still hunting for the impostor and “daughter”.

Sheilagh Davies, prosecuting, said of the impostor: “She looked really nothing like the rather more glamorous and better presented Ms Hunniford.

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Another payment of £18,940 was paid into the account of Reyon Dillon, 18

“They were a middle aged lady, who purported to be the real Gloria Hunniford but the bank account was held in the name of Mary Winifred Gloria Hunnford and the woman presented herself as Mary.

“She was later to produce a driving licence in the name of Mary Hunniford, which the Crown allege was fake.

“With that lady was another woman of around 40 years of age and with this defendant, Alan Dowie. They attended by prior arrangement and were seen by the personal banker Aysha Davis.

“They were taken to her office and there was an arrangement to add Alan Dowie to the account of Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford.

“It was presented as a fact that he was the grandson of the lady purporting to be Ms Hunniford.

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The prosecutor said a massive £80,000 was spent on Rolex watches

“She said she had ‘quite a few bob’ in her account.

“She wanted her grandson to enjoy the benefits of the very substantial funds she held.”

The court heard that within 90 minutes the first tranche of £19,000 was paid into Dowie’s bank account and over the course of the day a total of £102,000 had been drained.

Another payment of £18,940 was paid into the account of Reyon Dillon, 18, who helped launder some of the money.

The prosecutor said a massive £80,000 was spent on Rolex watches, including one costing nearly £30,000.

Davis told the court: “The name on the ID card was Mary Winifred Gloria Hunniford.

“I had to Google Gloria Hunniford and even if I passed her on the street I wouldn’t recognise her.”

The 28-year-old, of Streatham, south London, had denied one count of conspiracy to defraud. Dowie admitted the same charge and one of money laundering.

Handing him an 18-month term of detention, suspended for two years, Judge Timothy Pontius said he accepted the youngster was a “dupe” in the scam.

Dillon, of Croydon, pleaded guilty to money laundering, and will be sentenced on September 7.

Gloria last night said she was amazed Santander – who repaid the £120,000 – did not have an adequate system able to detect and prevent suspicious activity around her account.

A Santander spokesperson said: “We are very sympathetic to the distress caused to Ms Hunniford for being the victim of a scam.

“We have made significant improvements to our processes to ensure this type of fraudulent activity is prevented in future.”